Thursday, May 28, 2009

"Listen to the mustn'ts child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me...Anything can happen, child. Anything can be."

This week had proven to test my limits and my motivation for running. What was I thinking? So badly I've wanted to give up and call it a good effort on my part. So badly I've wished I never committed to running this regimen and torturing my body this way.

The thing is, my body likes it.

My heart likes it.

My legs LOVE it!

This is what I'm doing:

Week 3Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, followed by two repetitions of the following:

Jog 200 yards (90 seconds)

Walk 200 yards (90 seconds)

Jog 400 yards (3 minutes)

Walk 400 yards (3 minutes)

Sounds easy enough...HA!~

Although I've had feelings of regret as my feet are hitting the large circulating tread-belt, it's always a relief when I complete my session with success and without cheating. I've heard it said before, "Nothing that's worthwhile us ever easy. Remember that." - Nicholas Sparks. I know that if I am ever going to accomplish the things I want to achieve, I'm going to HAVE to persevere and run through the pain, because in the end, it's all for my own good.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Mary McHugh mourns her fiance Sergeant James Regan at the Arlington National Cemetery. Sergeant Regan, an American Special Forces soldier, was killed by an IED explosion in Iraq.

Photo by: John Moore of Getty Images, Memorial Day May 27, 2007

As I scoured the internet for images I could use to show my appreciation on Memorial Day, I came across this one. It immediatly pricked my heart as I stared at this beautiful woman lying on her fiance's grave, as if she were imagining resting her head next to him. I wondered what she was doing lying there so still. Was she praying? Was she whispering to him benieth the dirt? Or was she merely grieving her loss that she hoped would never happen to her? I may never know. I would imagine that her lying on the ground was her way of being close to him...as close as she'd ever be again.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

After completing Week One of the Couch-to-5k Program, I can honestly say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was tough and it was hard. I realize that plenty of people can complete my week one with the greatest of ease, however for me I wondered if my legs were going to make it. Well they did, and I did.

Starting Week Two was an exciting thing for me. I was eager to move on to the next level of my journey, and feel a sense of accomplishment that accompanies the soreness and exhaustion after my walk/run. I yearn for the feeling of my lungs expanding and my heart pumping, telling me I'm taking care of my body. You can imaging my surprise when noticing after only one week, my jeans fitting a little nicer, and my *ahem* bra not filling out so much. This is proof that my body agrees with this form of healthy living. In fact, if my organs could talk, I'd imagine them cheering and applauding my every step on the treadmill. I even find myself getting a little excited when my schedule dictates that today is the day to darn my sports bra and running shoes...knowing that I am getting that much closer to my goal.

Week Two:Brisk walk for 5 minutes, then alternate 90 second of jogging and 2 minutes of walking, for a total of 20 minutes.

So I've stepped it up. 30 more seconds of running and 30 more seconds of walking. It actually hasn't been that bad. I just keep telling myself that if I can give birth to 4 babies, than I can walk/run for 25 minutes, 3x a week. I remind myself of all the hard work that I've put into keeping a 4.0 GPA, and if I can do that, I can huff it out for 25 minutes a day. I also manage to convince myself, when I don't think I can take one more step, that one minute is going to go by whether I'm running in it or not, so I might as well keep going and finish strong!

I've taken the pressure off of myself to loose X amount of weight by a specific time, or feel the urge to fit into a size 6 by summer's end. I think that I had to come to the realization that going slow and strong was they best thing for me to succeed this time. I eat everything I want in moderation. I don't deprive my body of anything, because as soon as I do, I want it. If I limit myself to no brownies...I inevitably want a whole batch to myself. So for me, I'm just focusing on being able to run a 5k in 9 weeks or more. I think it's realistic enough and I just might find that the weight will come off without pressuring my body to look a certain way, right now!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

It never surprises me when I see my sister Erin do something inspiring...again. For several years now I've seen her melt away and shrink her body further and further down on the scales. Her secret is running. I've never been a big fan of running, or anything uncomfortable for that matter, and the thought of breathing heavy and burning muscles isn't high on my list of priorities. Even though it should be. Besides, running a 5k or marathon was never something I thought I could ever do...why though?

After hearing about her last run (1/2 marathon), I was in awe at the mere thought of her running and accomplishing such a feat. And of course, as I've always done, I wanted to follow in her footsteps...literally. I just didn't know how to go about getting my butt in shape enough to run longer than 2 minutes together, so she mentioned a program that might help. It's called the "Couch to 5k" program. It's laid out to get anyone running 3 miles straight without stopping, week by week, for 9 weeks. It starts out slow and you gradually work your way up to 30 minutes of huffing and puffing...I mean running freely without a care in the world! I was sceptical at first, even though I desperately wanted to be able to accomplish this. But after starting this week, I can honestly say that it just might be possible...even for this girl who hasn't run anywhere, except after kids, in 14 years!

Here's what I'm doing this week:Week one:Three times a week:Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking. For a total of 20 minutes.

Sounds easy enough. It actually kicked my butt!...and I loved it! By the time I was done I was sweaty, stinky, and sore...three things I hate. I also breathed in a little deeper, held my head up a little higher and slept like a baby. So bring it on, "Couch to 5k"! Bring it on, cause this chick is running!

My 9 week regimen ends the first week of July, and the plan is to be running in a Warm-up 5k for a 1/2 marathon in August. I thought it was funny to learn that Marathon runners run in a 5k warm-up run before running 13+miles. Not me, I'll be going at it slow and runnin' the Warm-up. That should do...for now.

Friday, May 8, 2009

When Jedbot and I announced we were to be married in December of 1995, his mom wanted to assemble a special picture video for our wedding. As I sifted through old photos of myself to add to her own collection of baby pictures, I came across one that I would later come to love more than any other photo of me as a child. The reason for my taking a special liking to it was due to the fact that Jedbot had a photo of him taken in the exact same fashion. It's almost uncanny to see separate photos taken of us through the drivers side car-door window, with our brothers seated in front, as we sat on our mothers laps. Although Jedbot is 9 months older than me, it seems as though we were the same age when the picture was taken.

With Mother's Day around the corner, I felt drawn to these photos more than usual. It's a beautiful sight for me to see our mother's in their 20's as they traveled through life in a time when raising babies was their main focus. I love to look at these women and know that the concentration of their thoughts were on diapers, baby powder, burping, and toys. It's comforting to know that their thoughts were similar to mine as we each experienced the joys of raising babies. Even though I still have children to raise, I feel a connection to these special women, because I am a mother myself. I love to sit and lovingly gaze at these pictures and see them in a time in their lives where I have been myself.

So as I pulled out these photos from a special place I keep close to my heart, I thought it only fitting to express my sentiment for these worn images and my love for the mothers in them. For every diaper changed, runny nose wiped, dirty load of laundry washed and boo boo kissed....I love them. I love them not only for being our moms, but especially knowing the love I have for my own children is the same love they have for us. It's a love that can only be known through the experience of personally baring a child, and it's a love that would never be known otherwise.

Emily Hill Crow (aka Jem)

This blog was created in an effort to find a sanctuary for the expression of my thoughts, ideas, opinions, and stories. I enjoy taking advantage of my freedom of expression and speech. I use this forum to do JUST that! I share my feelings only as a way of understanding myself and the position I may or may not have regarding any one topic. The expression of my thoughts are not meant to imply that I have all the answers or that I firmly stand my ground on my side of the line, without hearing and understanding the opinions of others. I use this forum as a form of expression and not for the purposes of pointing fingers as to who is right or wrong. That being said...let's talk.

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All the images on this blog, unless otherwise specified, have been taken from the Google Images Search Engine.